Two days before Nick Davis graduated from Auburn University, he found out he would be spending the next 27 months of his life in Mozambique in southeast Africa with the Peace Corps.

By Ashley Chaffin | Staff Writer

Two days before Nick Davis graduated from Auburn University, he found out he would be spending the next 27 months of his life in Mozambique in southeast Africa with the Peace Corps.“I really didn't know what I wanted to do,” Davis said. “I actually started applying for ph.d programs in neuroscience, and it just didn't spark my interest. I felt like I didn't have enough life experiences. I applied for that, and I applied for Teach for America. I really couldn't tell you what made me apply for (the Peace Corps).”The 23-year-old Holy Spirit graduate began his application to the Peace Corps in April 2012 and received his formal invitation to work as a biology teacher in Mozambique on May 2.“Originally, I was supposed to be in French-speaking Africa — Ghana, Benin, all the countries right around Nigeria,” he said. “Then out of nowhere, I got an invitation to Mozambique. I didn't know where it was. I knew that it was a country, but I didn't know where. That was kind of a shock.”After the initial three-month training required of all the volunteers, Davis said he could be placed just outside a city or up to eight hours away. All of the schools in the area are taught in Portuguese, a language he doesn't speak yet. He said the language barrier is what he fears the most.“I think when you don't know how to communicate what you want to say, you lose your personality. I'm going to be like a child to everyone over there because I won't be able to be funny if I want to be. I won't be able to show much emotion because I won't know how to say it. I'm going to rely a lot on facial expressions and hand gestures,” he said. Another unknown is the living conditions he will face living with a host family. Depending on where he is in the country, he could be living in anything from a hut to a two-bedroom apartment.“I find it exciting,” he said. “I could care less (about) my living conditions. I'm sure I'll miss some stuff once I'm there, but it's not like it's going to be the end of the world for me. That's one thing I've never really been too picky about.”He is also excited about the new way of life he'll be experiencing over the next two years. He is looking forward to having different stresses in life, rather than things like meeting someone for lunch at a certain time and then rushing back to work.“It's a little more laid back from what I understand,” he said. “I'm just excited to have different stresses in life, such as trying to communicate.”The Peace Corps won't be Davis' first work with community service. At Auburn, Davis was on the executive board for Alternative Student Breaks. He went on trips to Savannah, Ga., Costa Rica, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Atlanta. He also helped begin a new service organization on campus.“I was a director of a new organization on campus called the Challenge. It was to focus on getting Auburn students outside of their bubble and really looking at taking a leadership role in service,” he said. While in Mozambique, Davis will find a second job outside of teaching that will also focus on community service. He said most of the teachers work a little less than 40 hours a week total with teaching time, prep time and grading time. “I want to look more towards the health side,” he said. “Find a health clinic that needs help or try to get work on grants to get medical supplies over. Peace Corps volunteers are big on trying to get grants to help already established facilities like medical clinics, libraries and computer labs in schools. It's really cool how much help you can get in places if you can really ask for the grant money.”Right now, Davis is preparing for the trip by spending time in Chicago, where his family lives, and packing. He said he's gotten advice from former and current members of the Peace Corps to focus his packing efforts on personal items, rather than clothes. Included in those personal items will be electronics, books, pictures and spices.During his time in Mozambique, Davis will be writing a monthly column for The Tuscaloosa News. In the column, which will begin in October, Davis will share stories and answer questions from readers.“I've gotten a lot of questions about moving over there that I can't really answer yet. One of the most common things is about going to the bathroom,” he said. “Stuff like that, that's like everyday life stuff you just don't know. So I'm just going to take those questions and answer them. Not just straight answer them, but tell stories about it. Just kind of get the point across.”Davis leaves for Africa from New York on Sept. 25. He'll move back to the United States on Dec. 5, 2016 when he is 26 years old.